1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to couplings for receiving tubes or stuffer pins or the like such as disclosed in EP-A-00300504.8 and EP-A-756125.
2. Background Prior Art
Our European patent publication no. 0829671, published on Mar. 18, 1998, and corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 5,934,713, describes and illustrates a number of connectors for latching engagement with tubes or stuffer pins in which a tube must be pressed into the connector body sufficiently to engage a seal located in the body for the latching arrangement provided to operate and retain the tube in the body. Typically, a raised bead is provided on the tube with which the latch in the coupling body engages.
A number of users of such devices have requested that secondary latches be fitted to the connectors in certain applications such as in tube connectors used in motor vehicle engine compartments. For example, one user has a requirement that a secondary latch is engaged in a separate manual operation from the primary assembly operation of inserting a tube in the coupling body and that the secondary latch only operates properly if the tube has been inserted so the primary latch within the coupling body is successfully engaged.
It is an object of this invention to meet these additional requirements.